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Archive for the ‘Bible Characters’ Category

Pray It Forward

Posted in Faith, Jonah, Prayer, tagged , on August 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

From inside the fish Jonah prayed … “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me … I called for help, and you listened to my cry … you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit” … And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. — Jonah 2:1-10

Notice all Jonah prayed in the past tense (“you answered“, “you listened“, “you brough me up“, etc.) had not yet occurred. He was in the fish when he prayed!

Jonah was praying it forward — thanking God for what God was going to do as if God had already done it.

I hate those e-mails where the sender makes a request then adds, “Thank you in advance…” but God appears to love us praying that way! Jesus said,

“I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for. — Mark 11:24

Instead of just telling God how bad it all is, start thanking him for what he’s going to do about it.

Sound Bite:”Pray it forward!”
Also see:”Prayer and God’s Timelessness” – August 27, 2011

— fritz@langgang.com

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Who’s In the Details?

Posted in Joshua, Prayer, Trust, tagged on August 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Then spake Joshua to the LORD … Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. — Joshua 10:12-13

Moses’s successor, Joshua, was burning daylight with too much to do so he, according to the Bible, told the Sun to hold still until he could finish. Realizing how fantastic that seems, the reader is pointed to another source, the now lost book of Jasher.

Joshua didn’t try to figure out what all it would take for God to answer his prayer (earth rotation, gravity, etc) — he had a need, had faith, and spoke trusting God would work the details.

Sometimes we concern ourselves with too many details and reasons why not, rather than trusting God to work it all out.

Sound bite: “God is in the details!”
Prayer: “Jesus, sometimes I get too smart for my own good and it robbs me from trusting your care and provision. Help me to trust you are handling the details for my needs. Amen.”

— fritz@langgang.com

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Negotiating with God

Posted in Abraham, Lot, Prayer, Sodom and Gomorrah, tagged on August 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away?” … The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” … Then Abraham spoke up again … “[W]hat if the number of the righteous is five less? … What if only forty? … thirty? … twenty? … ten?” … [God] answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” – Genesis 18:24-27

A famous story in the Bible — Abraham standing before God praying for a wicked city because his nephew, Lot, lived there.

Abraham got God to agree to save the whole city if there were only ten (10) righteous living there, only ten! Sadly, there weren’t ten. If only Abraham had continued to negotiate! It wasn’t God who quit the countdown, it was Abraham.

Sometimes we quit prayer too soon! Who knows what could happen if we keep praying until God says stop.

— fritz@langgang.com

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